- By MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press
The Senate confirmed Doug Burgum as interior secretary late Thursday after President Donald Trump tapped the former North Dakota governor to spearhead the Republican administration’s ambitions to boost fossil fuel production.
The interior secretary also oversees:
- National Park Service
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Bureau of Indian Affairs,
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
and other sub-agencies.
The Interior Department has jurisdiction over a half-billion acres of federal land and vast areas offshore. Those areas produce about one-quarter of U.S. oil annually.
Burgum, 68, is an ultra-wealthy software industry entrepreneur. He served two terms as governor of the oil-rich state and launched a presidential campaign in 2023, but dropped out months later and quickly endorsed Trump. Burgum eagerly assisted the energy industry during his time as governor, when he was also profiting from the lease of family land to oil companies, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.
Burgum's directive from Trump is to make it even easier for energy companies to tap fossil fuel resources, including from public lands. That raised alarms among environmentalists and some Democrats as greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels heat the planet.
The U.S. currently produces more crude oil than any nation in history, according to the Energy Information Administration.
More cost-effective technology in recent decades drove drilling booms in states including New Mexico, Texas and North Dakota, where vast expanses of rural farmland have been industrialized by oil and gas companies. The booms brought billions of dollars in tax revenue to state and federal governments. But burning those fuels is also unleashing immense volumes of carbon dioxide that scientists say is warming the planet.
“Not every acre of federal land is a national park or a wilderness area,” he told lawmakers.
Republicans in Congress have said they plan to again seek changes to rules on endangered species and they want Burgum to help. Burgum says federal lands can be used for many purposes including recreation, logging and oil and gas production that can lift local economies.
CLICK HERE to see the complete article in MyMotherLode.com.
The Senate confirmed Doug Burgum as interior secretary late Thursday after President Donald Trump tapped the former North Dakota governor to spearhead the Republican administration’s ambitions to boost fossil fuel production.
The interior secretary also oversees:
- National Park Service
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Bureau of Indian Affairs,
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
and other sub-agencies.
The Interior Department has jurisdiction over a half-billion acres of federal land and vast areas offshore. Those areas produce about one-quarter of U.S. oil annually.
Burgum, 68, is an ultra-wealthy software industry entrepreneur. He served two terms as governor of the oil-rich state and launched a presidential campaign in 2023, but dropped out months later and quickly endorsed Trump. Burgum eagerly assisted the energy industry during his time as governor, when he was also profiting from the lease of family land to oil companies, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.
Burgum's directive from Trump is to make it even easier for energy companies to tap fossil fuel resources, including from public lands. That raised alarms among environmentalists and some Democrats as greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels heat the planet.
The U.S. currently produces more crude oil than any nation in history, according to the Energy Information Administration.
More cost-effective technology in recent decades drove drilling booms in states including New Mexico, Texas and North Dakota, where vast expanses of rural farmland have been industrialized by oil and gas companies. The booms brought billions of dollars in tax revenue to state and federal governments. But burning those fuels is also unleashing immense volumes of carbon dioxide that scientists say is warming the planet.
“Not every acre of federal land is a national park or a wilderness area,” he told lawmakers.
Republicans in Congress have said they plan to again seek changes to rules on endangered species and they want Burgum to help. Burgum says federal lands can be used for many purposes including recreation, logging and oil and gas production that can lift local economies.
CLICK HERE to see the complete article in MyMotherLode.com.
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